Childhood In A Gentler Time

A Memory of Llanbedr.

1954 and beyond really. I was born in 1949, and lived at No1 Tan Yr Ywen, with my mother. My late father John, died in in 1953(or 4) and as my dear mother has Altzeimers, memories of him are non-existant apart from a few sepia photos. Anyway, I went to Tal y Bont School the headmistress at the time was Mrs Griffidds known as 'scruffan'? My earliest memories are of my paternal grandmother Annie, who lived at No.5 and my auntie Lizzie who lived at No.4. My best friend who I sometimes email was Ian Baraclough who lived with his mother in the Gell y Forwyn. I suppose on the dark side, I remember bogey carting down from the Bull Inn down the hill, and colliding unceremoniously into the doorway of Shop Newydth, brakes were something we never thought of.
I climbed the drum, caused havoc playing knock-a-door run, climbed the yew tree that stretched itself into our garden, and trod on gravestones without a ferrets armpit, for the sleeping dead. It was an idylic childhood far removed from the 'I want, gimme, gimme', children of today. To mark a point; my wife and I took one of our granchildren, the gorgeous and vociferous Caitlin (9 going on 29), on a trip down memory lane last year, she was quite put-out that there was no Burger King or McDonalds.

she could not believe how we had fun and laughedand played in such surroundings but i supppose 21st century kids have different priorites.

SO to close if any body remembers me and wishes to share memories or just corrispond my e mail address is tommodad1@hotmail.co.uk

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